Random talk: Women and Movies…

Last Friday Mardaani hit theaters all across India. I didn’t hear about this movie, until I saw the poster in today’s Newspaper, and it got me thinking. I went to YouTube and checked out the trailer, and from what I have seen, it has the makings of a good crime/thriller. You may ask, “What’s so different about that? All films of today fall under that category.”

What captivated me about the film was that it had a female lead, something which is rarely seen in Indian cinema. It also got me thinking, about how there are “heroines” in films, who have no other job than to flaunt themselves to the audiences and get saved by the “hero”. The recent Surya starrer and letdown, Anjaan is an excellent example of that. It has been recent trend to chose actresses based on their looks rather than their acting abilities. Most “heroines” are used to add a dash of, what Indian filmmakers call, “masala” to the screen. Was it really necessary to have Kajal Agarwal in Thuppaki and Jilla? Does the role of Samantha, in any way, affect the on goings of Anjaan? Can a single person, who reads this post, name a main stream actress, who isn't as glamorous as current A-list actresses?

The answer is, unfortunately huge, NO. People ask me a lot of times why I like Hollywood films so much more than films made in my own country. Here is one of the reasons. The female characters present in their movies have a reason to be there.

Now, I am one for strong female characters. One of my biggest inspirations is Angelina Jolie. My favorite fictional character is, arguably, Lara Croft. Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen, Annabeth Chase, Zia Rashid, are but few of the female characters, I respect a lot (not Bella Swan). They are strong women who aren't afraid to fight for what they want.

Another reason I condemn the Indian film industry, is because I hear so many actresses talk about women empowerment, and then sign on to films which portray them as use and throw objects. That’s why I respect movies like Kahaani, Mardaani and Mary Kom. They break away from the cliches. They depict strong women, and let me tell you, nothing inspires people more, than a strong female character.

I hope certainly hope that Mardaani is a step in a direction which will bring the Indian film industry closer to a point where they stop considering actresses women as playthings and think of them as human beings with characters other than love-sickness. Kudos to the makers of Mardaani. You will always be remembered, by me at least!!